Director and screenwriter Jean-Marc MOUTOUT met with ESRA students on the occasion of the ESRA Thursday on January 28, 2021.
Jean-Marc MOUTOUT entered the world of cinema through acting, attending the Cours Simon from the age of 11. After studying applied mathematics at university, he went to film school in Belgium. He then returned to France and began his career on location and in production management. He wrote his first short film, Tout doit disparaitre (Everything Must Disappear), which was rejected for 6 months by all the film festivals. The Brest festival selected it, and it tied for first prize. The film then embarked on a tour of festivals, winning first prize at the Clermont-Ferrand festival.
His feature film De bon matin was inspired by a news item he heard on the radio that had a particular impact on him. Jean-Marc MOUTOUT directs and shoots social films that reflect his own experience and lifestyle. Inspired by real events, he seeks to understand the singularity and behavior of individuals, but he does not seek universality. He insists on building his own story, his own characters, from elements he can make up; humanly, intimately and according to his background. He doesn't write for actors in particular, but the question of who will play the role quickly becomes obvious to him.
His career continued with series, and he was invited to direct episodes 2 and 3 of season 1 of The Office of Legends. The script was already written, and he was asked to produce the episodes with modular sets and renowned actors. He then directed and co-wrote the series Victor Hugo, Enemy of the State which he says came about thanks to Le Bureau des Légendes . Jean-Marc MOUTOUT explained to the students the particularities of shooting a series. TV channels have different editing requirements, they don't buy the same genre, so you have to adapt to the productions. Shooting is very fast, and editing has to be done in a very short time.
